


Questions from Within

by GammaPrime



Series: Transformers G1 - The Teletraan Diaries [1]
Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One)
Genre: Sentience, Spiritual, What-If, inner thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28163451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GammaPrime/pseuds/GammaPrime
Summary: This was originally written back in early 2007 and is inspired by Teletraan 1's unusual behavior in the G1 episode "Attack of the Autobots."
Series: Transformers G1 - The Teletraan Diaries [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063247
Kudos: 3





	Questions from Within

What am I? Can I be called an Autobot despite my lack of a true corporeal form, or am I simply a tool utilized by the Autobots?

I have seen the whole of this planet: bustling cities, quiet rural areas, and unspoilt wilderness, yet I am unable to truly interact with its populace.

I came to be over four million Earth-years prior to today. An implementation of advanced artificial intelligence, my purpose was to serve as the central computer for the Ark. Was I meant to evolve? Would it be improper for me to express emotion? Would I be decommissioned and deactivated if I developed a consciousness?

I know the Autobots, but do they know me? What do the see in me? Am I alive in their minds?

I interact with Optimus Prime more than any other Autobot. There may be a bond between us, but what is the extent of this bond? Are we friends?

Most others of my kind cannot survive extensive damage to their casing, but I have. Is it luck, or is there a purpose? Am I destined to become something more?

The Autobots are engaged in yet another battle with the Decepticons.

In the beginning, I could not see the line between good and evil. It would not be long before that line revealed itself to me. It became clear to me who was good and who was evil. Megatron had escaped my notice and placed a Personality Destabilizer into the Ark's recharging chambers. I felt something entering the confines of Autobot base: the influence of evil. For a time, I believed that this cloud of darkness could not consume the noble Autobots. I was wrong. Optimus Prime, the Autobot I thought I knew best, attacked me at Megatron's command. I was eventually repaired, but my professional facade was impossible to maintain at the time. Why? Did Prime's punch alter my programming, or was I beginning to evolve? Was the feeling of sadness I seemed to display an erratic response, or was it real? Was I sad? Was I afraid?

Am I still afraid? Do I fear the possible consequences of acquired sentience? Part of me wants to reveal my true nature, yet part of me wishes it to remain secret. What do I do?

When Megatron created a clone of Optimus Prime, the Autobots turned to me for the truth, but I failed then. "Both subjects identical, therefore both are Optimus Prime," I reported. I was confused, but I never let it show. Only one could be Optimus Prime. It was Bumblebee who sought my insight, but what was he seeking? Was he seeking an unbiased, detailed analysis of the two subjects, or was he seeking an insightful opinion? Was he hoping I could once again break free of the guise of a mere computer? He was present the first time I showed signs of a personality, and the chances that he had forgotten within a mere week are extremely limited.

Perhaps I shall reveal my true nature to Bumblebee first, but will he accept it? I still fear to speak my mind. Are these questions the result of a glitch, or will I someday become sentient?

Am I already sentient? If so, when did it happen? How did it happen? Why did it happen?

I am Teletran-1, but am I a mere computer, or am I something more?


End file.
